HEALTHCARE & HOSPITAL FACILITIES WITHIN TOUCHING DISTANCE
Chris Wakefi eld, Managing Director UK & Ireland at GOJO Industries-Europe Ltd, explores the optimal positions for hand hygiene to infl uence healthy habits in healthcare settings.
To have the most positive impact on hand hygiene behaviour, products and solutions need to be effective, pleasant to use and accessible. Therefore, when implementing or upgrading a hand hygiene system, healthcare and hospital facilities managers should pay attention to the correct choice and positioning of hand washing and sanitising solutions throughout the entire site.
At your fi ngertips Hand hygiene facilities must be readily available and easy to use. According to guidelines, point-of-care products should be as close as possible, within arm’s reach of where patient care or treatment is taking place, without having to leave the area.
Dispensers can be wall-mounted, free-standing, push- activated or touch-free. In fact, contactless technology is becoming increasingly popular (unsurprisingly, given the pandemic), as these dispensers intuitively release just the right amount of product without the user physically having to touch it. Since a precise amount is delivered, there is less mess and wastage too.
Supplying hand rub in different formats can also help increase compliance. According to research we undertook with healthcare trusts last year, overburdened and stressed staff felt as if they didn’t have time to clean their hands as often as they should. However, by issuing staff with small form versions, such as personal bottles of PURELL Advanced Hygienic Hand Rub, they can sanitise whilst moving between patients and reduce this lost time.
Opportunities for hand hygiene should also be available at other key germ hot spots, such as the entrances and exits, waiting rooms, and of course washrooms.
Effective solutions First and foremost, products must have proven antimicrobial effi cacy. Choose products that conform to key hospital norms EN 1500, EN 14476, and EN 12791, which provide assurance that they are safe for use in healthcare settings. Selecting products that reach their stated effi cacy levels quickly can be a key differentiator too. For example, PURELL Advanced Hygienic Hand Rub passed key norm EN14476 in just 30 seconds, helping to reduce the amount of time required for busy healthcare workers to clean their hands effectively.
The high frequency with which healthcare workers clean their hands means that
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formulations must also be gentle. Recent reports have shown that 59% of healthcare workers seen in occupational skin disease clinics, set up during the COVID-19 pandemic, were found to be affected by irritant contact dermatitis due to an increased use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and frequent hand washing. Therefore, healthcare managers should look for products that are enriched with nourishing agents to care for hands – because if they dry out or irritate skin, adherence is likely to decline.
Say no to bulk fi ll systems When hand sanitiser demand outpaced supply during the pandemic, many turned to bulk fi ll systems. However, while they helped plug the gap during the crisis, they may not be the safest, or most effective solution, and could actually cause more harm than good. Problems associated with ‘open refi ll’ dispensing include branded hand sanitiser products being refi lled with other formulas, products mixing into unknown chemical combinations, contamination or degradation, and product tampering. All of which can mean an uncompliant and potentially harmful end product.
At GOJO, we have taken major steps to increase our capacity so that we can continue to serve our customers and help healthcare facilities sustain safe and effective hand sanitiser solutions.
www.GOJO.com
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